As I have stated on this blog many times, I really love finding new up-and-coming Indie Pop Rock artists. I feel like there are so many great artists in this genre on the rise right now, and they all deserve so much love. Someone who I discovered a couple of years ago that I enjoy a lot is Juliet Ivy. As with many new artists, I came across her on TikTok; she has had a lot of viral success there, as well as on Instagram. Juliet Ivy has a sound that feels unique and familiar at the same time. She blends the harder, grainier sound of artists like beabadoobee with the lighter, sweeter Pop of Taylor Swift. I really like this combination, as she is carving her own lane yet staying palatable. Juliet Ivy started releasing singles in 2021, and dropped her first EP, playpen, in 2023. She followed it up with another really good EP titled tiny but scary in 2024(both of these projects were reviewed on Eastside Vibes). Recently, Juliet Ivy dropped her third EP, Cosmic Wink. Below, I wanted to highlight my favorite songs, then give some overall thoughts on it as a whole. Please let me know in the comments what you think of Juliet Ivy and Cosmic Wink. 

here we go again

‘Here we go again’ was the lead single from this EP, having been released near the end of last year. As I mentioned above, Juliet Ivy has said Taylor Swift inspires her; this song totally fits into that mold. When I heard this track, I immediately thought of the Country-Pop she became known for in the early 2010s. The melody for this one is driven by a warm and sweet guitar riff with a bit of a twang. It is complemented by a nice bassline that gives the track depth. The drum pattern is a bit upbeat, making this song feel super dancey. Juliet Ivy’s vocals on this one are just as sweet as the vocals. Her tone gives the song such a lovely feeling. On ‘here we go again,’ Juliet Ivy sings about a relationship that is blossoming again due to someone coming back into her life. 

SOS 2001

Once in a while, Juliet Ivy will give us a taste of something a little harder or grittier than her other music. ‘SOS 2001’ is one of those tracks. If the previous track feels inspired by Taylor Swift, this one totally feels inspired by beabadoobee. The introduction for this track has a laid-back Pop Rock sound. As the song progresses, the instrumentation gets heavier and more distorted. The song is driven by an acoustic guitar riff, but has some fuzzy electric guitars that are on top of it. The drums on this song pound a bit as well, giving it emphasis. Juliet Ivy’s vocals during the tougher parts of the song are more pronounced, but her vocals during the lighter parts are more subdued. It creates a cool juxtaposition. On ‘SOS 2001,’ Juliet Ivy is reminiscing on her past and thinking about calling people she used to mess around with. 

cosmic wink

I recently saw in a little interview of Juliet Ivy that she would highly recommend ‘cosmic wink’ as the song to get into or understand her. Of course, I had to shout out that track here. ‘cosmic wink’ is a slower and lighter song than the last two. The Taylor Swift influence does reign through on this one as well. The guitar riff that drives this one does have a bit of that Country Pop twang to it. The melody does have some elements to lean into modern Bedroom Pop as well,  though. There are complementary sound effects and synths that give the song a bit of a clean and fresh feeling to it. These parts of the instrumentation feel inspired by artists like Clairo or Mitski. ‘cosmic wink’ has my favorite vocal performance of the project as well. Juliet Ivy’s tone is so inviting and her range gives the song life. On ‘cosmic wink,’ Juliet Ivy sings about a divine connection with someone. Wherever she goes and whatever she does, she feels this person is with her in some way. 

As I mentioned in the introduction, Juliet Ivy has been one of my favorite rising Indie Pop artists for a couple of years. Her music has a familiarity that is so nice to listen to, but she puts her own twist on it to set herself apart. On Cosmic Wink, Juliet Ivy shows she is still improving in every facet as an artist. I will say that Juliet Ivy has always worn her influences on her sleeve, and Cosmic Wink is another example of that. It is easy to pick up on who Juliet Ivy was inspired by on this EP, as I mentioned in the songs above. Even on the other two tracks, these inspirations do shine through. If you are a fan of Taylor Swift, beabadoobee, or Clairo, I am sure that you will enjoy the music on this project. Juliet Ivy has always been a very good vocalist, and this is apparent again on Cosmic Wink. There is something about her vocal style that is just so inviting. The way she sings these songs makes it feel like you are sitting around a campfire with a friend, which is pretty great. Juliet Ivy does have a range that can elicit emotion with her music that is palpable. The best thing about Juliet Ivy’s music is her songwriting, though. Her lyrics always have this whimsical and tongue-in-cheek element. The way she tells her stories is very clever. She brings you into the world the way she sees it, which is a very unique perspective. Overall, Cosmic Wink is another really solid project from a great rising Indie Pop star. Juliet Ivy keeps getting better, and I can’t wait to finally hear a full-length release from her.